New Revive Oakland! Coalition Launches Thursday; Crucial city, port decisions near on huge job-creating project

What: Rally and news conference to launch the new Revive Oakland! coalition and unveil a proposed "Contract with the community" to guarantee good jobs for Oakland residents from the redevelopment of the massive former Oakland Army Base.

When: Thursday, June 17, 2010, 12:00 PM

Where: Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza

Who: Organized by the Revive Oakland! Coalition for Real Jobs and Healthy Communities (Alliance of California for Community Empowerment, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Center for Third World Organizing, The Workforce Collaborative, Alameda Labor Council). Featuring:
•    Oakland Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan, Jean Quan;
•    East and West Oakland residents who would benefit from the project - including a job training graduate and a long-time West Oakland Resident - available for interviews.

Media visuals: Elected officials and community members will sign a giant "good jobs for Oaklanders" contract; signs and banners at rally

Background: On the eve of the release of fresh unemployment statistics for Alameda County, a new community coalition will call upon the developers of the former Oakland Army Base to sign a "contract with the community" to ensure that the enormous redevelopment project creates quality jobs that are accessible to Oakland residents. The launch of the Revive Oakland! coalition and unveiling of the proposed contract comes weeks before both the City of Oakland and the Port are expected to take significant votes on the redevelopment of the former Base.

Key elements of the contract include a commitment to creating quality jobs, funding for community job training center, and hiring local residents.

"This 'contract with the community' is a concrete and common-sense proposal to revitalize our city and regional economy, by making sure the Army Base Redevelopment brings real jobs to Oakland residents," said Nikki Bas, Executive Director of the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, one of the members of Revive Oakland! With a site the size of 200 football fields, and millions in public money at stake, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to put up to 8,000 Oaklanders to work in good jobs and provide a skilled workforce to local business."

One day after the launch, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is expected to release the latest unemployment statistics for Alameda County. While the US Census may provide a temporary lift, in April Oakland's unemployment was a staggering 17.3%. "If everyone had a job, Oakland would have hope," said James Smith, Oakland resident and graduate of the ATLAS job training program. The Army Base redevelopment could bring thousands of new construction, forklift, warehouse, and port-related jobs to Oakland.

The Army Base closed in 1994 and the Federal Base Reuse Authority returned the property to the City of Oakland and the Port of Oakland in 2006. In 2008, the City issued a request for proposals, incorporating several community demands concerning jobs. Both the City and Port have signed "exclusive negotiating agreements" with local developer Phil Tagami's California Capital Group and international property corporation AMB.